The ILH football championship has become a game of hot potato in recent years.

No team has repeated as ILH champion since Saint Louis in 2007. Kamehameha, which lost in a playoff to Punahou last season, hopes to continue that trend.

The Warriors, who last won a state championship in 2009, check in at No. 3 in the Star-Advertiser Preseason Top 10.

Head coach David Stant, who enters his sixth season as the man in charge, saw his team come within a yard of a potential ILH title last year.

Kamehameha and Punahou tied at 6-1 for the regular-season crown, but the Warriors were stopped inside the 1-yard line in the final seconds of a one-game playoff that resulted in a disappointing end to a promising season.

"I think that’s fueled our offseason training," Stant said on Monday. "We’ve trained really, really hard and the boys haven’t complained about it. I think without saying it, (last year) is something in the back of their heads that they don’t want to experience again."

The Warriors return only six starters from a season ago, including just two on defense.

Kamehameha does return senior quarterbacks Makoa Camanse-Stevens (6 feet 3, 185 pounds) and Nephi Stevens (5-10, 180), who split time behind center as juniors.

Nephi Stevens carried a heavier workload down the stretch last year, throwing for more than 100 yards in four of Kamehameha’s final five games, but both will again see time at QB.

"Nobody else does it, but Makoa had a great summer and spring and same thing for Nephi, so we’re experimenting with a couple of things for both of them," Stant said. "It’s a good problem, let me tell you that."

Kamehameha’s top two workhorses at running back last year, Tyler Meditz and Bronson Barretto, are both gone, but depth is not an issue.

The Warriors are five deep at the position, starting with junior Brandon Kahookele (5-6, 175). Stant says sophomores Kaulana Apelu (5-10, 185), Salanoa Wily (6-0, 260) and Kainoa Simao (5-4, 135), along with senior Kalani Wengler (5-4, 160), will also be involved in the rotation.

"We’re pretty stacked at that position — a lot of competition," Stant said. "We run into those situations sometimes figuring out who we’re going to go with, but just like having two quarterbacks, it’s a good problem to have."

Seniors Avery Amasiu (6-0, 170) and Alii Pedrina (5-9, 175) are the top two targets at receiver. Pedrina led the team in receiving in five games last year, including a team-high 158 yards in a win over ‘Iolani.

The offensive line will feature four new starters around junior center Kaiwi Chung (5-10, 235).

"He started as a sophomore and knows our system," Stant said. "He’s our anchor."

Defensively, Kamehameha will break in a bunch of new starters around defensive linemen Kalei Meyer (6-2, 255) and Thor Latu (6-2, 225).

Defensive backs Javen Sablay (5-8, 162), Dade Apao (6-1, 180) and Noa Yap (5-10, 160) will see time in the secondary, while Ikea Ikehara (6-2, 210) will split time at linebacker and defensive end as a hybrid-type player on defense.

"We’ve got a lot of team speed," Stant said. "It’s not like we’re big and just can move people out of the way, but we have a lot of good team speed and that’s our key, I think."

The Warriors scrimmaged Farrington twice and Campbell, helping to get the young kids up to speed, which Stant says will be critical in the team’s success.

"It’s kind of changed our thought process and the way we’ve practiced," Stant said about his team’s youth. "What we’ve tried to do is put a lot more pressure on the boys than we’ve done in the past to see if they can practice or not.

"If we can play without making the big mistakes, the dumb penalties, the dropped balls, then I think we’re in good shape."

Kamehameha opens its season Friday, hosting Castle in its first home game in three years.